Black moor resting by heater

Hi! I'm relatively new to keeping an aquarium with fish, and here's my
question:

We have 2 black moor goldfish. One of them we had about a year in a 1-gallon
aquarium, and he did fine. A few weeks ago, we moved him to a 10-gallon
aquarium and added a second black moor. About a week ago, I noticed that the
original black moor seemed to be having trouble swimming against the current
of the filter. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his tail seemed
frayed. I phoned the pet shop, and he was diagnosed with fin and tail rot
and I am now on day 3 of 5 of treating the aquarium with tetracycline
tablets. The sick fish seemed to be doing better as soon as I started
treatment but then I noticed he was in the corner by the heater, by the
surface of the water, not moving. I thought he was dead. But then, he began
to swim around, frisky as ever.

In the last 2 days, he seems to be spending an awful lot of time "resting"
in the corner by the heater, but then he periodically swims around and looks
as healthy and happy as ever. His tail seems to be regenerating (or am I
imagining that ?) and his eyes seem clearer (or am I imagining that too?). I
am inclined to believe if he were going to die, it would have happened by
now. He seems to be recuperating, so what is going on here? Is he staying by
the heater for warmth? Is he tired? I thought maybe he was having trouble
fighting the current being generated by the filter, but even when I turn off
the filter, he stays in the corner. The other fish is swimming around
normally.

Any thoughts on what is going on here?
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

"cindys" wrote in message
...
Hi! I'm relatively new to keeping an aquarium with fish, and here's my
question:

We have 2 black moor goldfish. One of them we had about a year in a
1-gallon
aquarium, and he did fine. A few weeks ago, we moved him to a 10-gallon
aquarium and added a second black moor. About a week ago, I noticed that
the
original black moor seemed to be having trouble swimming against the
current
of the filter. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his tail seemed
frayed.

Is there an ammonia problem in this new setup? Have you checked for ammonia
and nitrites?

I phoned the pet shop, and he was diagnosed with fin and tail rot
and I am now on day 3 of 5 of treating the aquarium with tetracycline
tablets.

These will probably kill off your nitrifying bacteria. :-(

The sick fish seemed to be doing better as soon as I started
treatment but then I noticed he was in the corner by the heater, by the
surface of the water, not moving. I thought he was dead. But then, he
began
to swim around, frisky as ever.

Why are you heating the water for cold water fish? Goldfish don't need a
heater.

In the last 2 days, he seems to be spending an awful lot of time "resting"
in the corner by the heater, but then he periodically swims around and
looks
as healthy and happy as ever. His tail seems to be regenerating (or am I
imagining that ?) and his eyes seem clearer (or am I imagining that too?).
I
am inclined to believe if he were going to die, it would have happened by
now. He seems to be recuperating, so what is going on here?

Again, have you checked the ammonia and nitrite levels in this new set-up?
Are you doing weekly partial water changes? Did you quarantine the NEW fish
for at least 14 days before exposing him to your old fish?

Is he staying by
the heater for warmth? Is he tired? I thought maybe he was having trouble
fighting the current being generated by the filter,

How much current is this filter putting out? If it's annoying the fish you
need to slow it down or get another type or a smaller filter.

but even when I turn off
the filter, he stays in the corner. The other fish is swimming around
normally.

Any thoughts on what is going on here?
Best regards,

It doesn't sound too good. What was the PH in his old small tank and what
is the PH in this new tank? Could this be old tank syndrome?


--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastada...ium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
...
Hi! I'm relatively new to keeping an aquarium with fish, and here's my
question:

We have 2 black moor goldfish. One of them we had about a year in a
1-gallon
aquarium, and he did fine. A few weeks ago, we moved him to a 10-gallon
aquarium and added a second black moor. About a week ago, I noticed that
the
original black moor seemed to be having trouble swimming against the
current
of the filter. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his tail seemed
frayed.

Is there an ammonia problem in this new setup? Have you checked for
ammonia
and nitrites?

After doing some research after I posted, I'm wondering. We'll be checking
that as soon as we can get to the pet store tomorrow and whatever we need to
test the water.



I phoned the pet shop, and he was diagnosed with fin and tail rot
and I am now on day 3 of 5 of treating the aquarium with tetracycline
tablets.

These will probably kill off your nitrifying bacteria. :-(

Yup. Do you think the tablets were a mistake? We're total novices at this
(obviously). The one fish was fine in the 1 gallon tank for a year. We got a
tank that was presumably bigger, nicer, more sophisticated, and now this
happens... :-(


The sick fish seemed to be doing better as soon as I started
treatment but then I noticed he was in the corner by the heater, by the
surface of the water, not moving. I thought he was dead. But then, he
began
to swim around, frisky as ever.

Why are you heating the water for cold water fish? Goldfish don't need a
heater.

I asked my husband if the temperature was set for goldfish (as opposed to
tropical fish). He insisted that it was. But thank you. I will turn off the
heater right away.


In the last 2 days, he seems to be spending an awful lot of time
"resting"
in the corner by the heater, but then he periodically swims around and
looks
as healthy and happy as ever. His tail seems to be regenerating (or am I
imagining that ?) and his eyes seem clearer (or am I imagining that
too?).
I
am inclined to believe if he were going to die, it would have happened
by
now. He seems to be recuperating, so what is going on here?

Again, have you checked the ammonia and nitrite levels in this new set-up?

We'll do this as soon as we can get whatever we need to do this tomorrow at
the pet store.

Are you doing weekly partial water changes?

With the old tank, my husband changed the water frequently. We haven't had
this tank very long (only a few weeks or a month), so my husband may not
have. Right now, the water is getting really disgusting from the
tetracycline tablets and leaving the filter off part of the time. I would
like to change the water (at least partially), but I'm afraid that the
removing some of the medicine along with the water (which is obviously
unavoidable) will make the situation worse.

Did you quarantine the NEW fish
for at least 14 days before exposing him to your old fish?

No. But I don't know if that would have made any difference in this case.
The new fish is doing fine.


Is he staying by
the heater for warmth? Is he tired? I thought maybe he was having
trouble
fighting the current being generated by the filter,

How much current is this filter putting out? If it's annoying the fish
you
need to slow it down or get another type or a smaller filter.

Even when we turn off the filter, he hides by the heater.
Thank you so much for your advice. I will turn off the heater right away and
check for ammonia and nitrites first thing tomorrow. Another thing is that
we have several cats, and the aquarium is in the bathroom and one of the
litter boxes is also in the bathroom. Is it possible that some of the
ammonia from the litter box could be getting into the air and diffusing into
the aquarium water? This was never a problem with the old tank, but there
was less surface area. (Both tanks have been covered).
Again, thank you. I hope we can save the fish.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.


but even when I turn off
the filter, he stays in the corner. The other fish is swimming around
normally.

Any thoughts on what is going on here?
Best regards,

It doesn't sound too good. What was the PH in his old small tank and what
is the PH in this new tank? Could this be old tank syndrome?


--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastada...ium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 04:16:41 GMT, "cindys"
wrote:


"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
...
Hi! I'm relatively new to keeping an aquarium with fish, and here's my
question:

We have 2 black moor goldfish. One of them we had about a year in a
1-gallon
aquarium, and he did fine. A few weeks ago, we moved him to a 10-gallon
aquarium and added a second black moor. About a week ago, I noticed that
the
original black moor seemed to be having trouble swimming against the
current
of the filter. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his tail seemed
frayed.

Is there an ammonia problem in this new setup? Have you checked for
ammonia
and nitrites?

After doing some research after I posted, I'm wondering. We'll be checking
that as soon as we can get to the pet store tomorrow and whatever we need to
test the water.

Surely litmus would do the job??






I phoned the pet shop, and he was diagnosed with fin and tail rot
and I am now on day 3 of 5 of treating the aquarium with tetracycline
tablets.

These will probably kill off your nitrifying bacteria. :-(

Yup. Do you think the tablets were a mistake? We're total novices at this
(obviously). The one fish was fine in the 1 gallon tank for a year. We got a
tank that was presumably bigger, nicer, more sophisticated, and now this
happens... :-(


The sick fish seemed to be doing better as soon as I started
treatment but then I noticed he was in the corner by the heater, by the
surface of the water, not moving. I thought he was dead. But then, he
began
to swim around, frisky as ever.

Why are you heating the water for cold water fish? Goldfish don't need a
heater.

I asked my husband if the temperature was set for goldfish (as opposed to
tropical fish). He insisted that it was. But thank you. I will turn off the
heater right away.


In the last 2 days, he seems to be spending an awful lot of time
"resting"
in the corner by the heater, but then he periodically swims around and
looks
as healthy and happy as ever. His tail seems to be regenerating (or am I
imagining that ?) and his eyes seem clearer (or am I imagining that
too?).
I
am inclined to believe if he were going to die, it would have happened
by
now. He seems to be recuperating, so what is going on here?

Again, have you checked the ammonia and nitrite levels in this new set-up?

We'll do this as soon as we can get whatever we need to do this tomorrow at
the pet store.

Are you doing weekly partial water changes?

With the old tank, my husband changed the water frequently. We haven't had
this tank very long (only a few weeks or a month), so my husband may not
have. Right now, the water is getting really disgusting from the
tetracycline tablets and leaving the filter off part of the time. I would
like to change the water (at least partially), but I'm afraid that the
removing some of the medicine along with the water (which is obviously
unavoidable) will make the situation worse.

Did you quarantine the NEW fish
for at least 14 days before exposing him to your old fish?

No. But I don't know if that would have made any difference in this case.
The new fish is doing fine.


Is he staying by
the heater for warmth? Is he tired? I thought maybe he was having
trouble
fighting the current being generated by the filter,

How much current is this filter putting out? If it's annoying the fish
you
need to slow it down or get another type or a smaller filter.

Even when we turn off the filter, he hides by the heater.
Thank you so much for your advice. I will turn off the heater right away and
check for ammonia and nitrites first thing tomorrow. Another thing is that
we have several cats, and the aquarium is in the bathroom and one of the
litter boxes is also in the bathroom. Is it possible that some of the
ammonia from the litter box could be getting into the air and diffusing into
the aquarium water? This was never a problem with the old tank, but there
was less surface area. (Both tanks have been covered).
Again, thank you. I hope we can save the fish.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.


but even when I turn off
the filter, he stays in the corner. The other fish is swimming around
normally.

Any thoughts on what is going on here?
Best regards,

It doesn't sound too good. What was the PH in his old small tank and what
is the PH in this new tank? Could this be old tank syndrome?


--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastada...ium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"Squirrel" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 04:16:41 GMT, "cindys"
wrote:


"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
...
Hi! I'm relatively new to keeping an aquarium with fish, and here's
my
question:

We have 2 black moor goldfish. One of them we had about a year in a
1-gallon
aquarium, and he did fine. A few weeks ago, we moved him to a
10-gallon
aquarium and added a second black moor. About a week ago, I noticed
that
the
original black moor seemed to be having trouble swimming against the
current
of the filter. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his tail seemed
frayed.

Is there an ammonia problem in this new setup? Have you checked for
ammonia
and nitrites?

We did today, and it's fine.

After doing some research after I posted, I'm wondering. We'll be
checking
that as soon as we can get to the pet store tomorrow and whatever we need
to
test the water.

Surely litmus would do the job??

We did get the kit.
Thanks for you advice.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

"cindys" wrote in message
...

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
...
Hi! I'm relatively new to keeping an aquarium with fish, and here's my
question:

We have 2 black moor goldfish. One of them we had about a year in a
1-gallon
aquarium, and he did fine. A few weeks ago, we moved him to a 10-gallon
aquarium and added a second black moor. About a week ago, I noticed
that
the
original black moor seemed to be having trouble swimming against the
current
of the filter. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his tail seemed
frayed.

Is there an ammonia problem in this new setup? Have you checked for
ammonia
and nitrites?

After doing some research after I posted, I'm wondering. We'll be checking
that as soon as we can get to the pet store tomorrow and whatever we need
to
test the water.

At the least get a combo test usually using strips or individual tests for
ammonia, nitrite, PH and hardness.


I phoned the pet shop, and he was diagnosed with fin and tail rot
and I am now on day 3 of 5 of treating the aquarium with tetracycline
tablets.

These will probably kill off your nitrifying bacteria. :-(

Yup. Do you think the tablets were a mistake? We're total novices at this
(obviously). The one fish was fine in the 1 gallon tank for a year. We got
a
tank that was presumably bigger, nicer, more sophisticated, and now this
happens... :-(

Don't give up! Had you switched from the small tank to the larger one
correctly (but you didn't know) it probably would not have happened. You
can Google more information on how to set up new tanks, the nitrogen cycle
etc. than you can possibly read. :-) The water conditions were probably
very different in the old tank than in the new one. This is shocking to a
fish's system, then add some ammonia,..... and they become easy prey to
disease such as fin rots and funguses. Also, GF don't need heat. I can't
say of the tabs were a mistake since the fish is believed to suffer a
bacterial infection.

The sick fish seemed to be doing better as soon as I started
treatment but then I noticed he was in the corner by the heater, by the
surface of the water, not moving. I thought he was dead. But then, he
began
to swim around, frisky as ever.

Why are you heating the water for cold water fish? Goldfish don't need a
heater.

I asked my husband if the temperature was set for goldfish (as opposed to
tropical fish). He insisted that it was. But thank you. I will turn off
the
heater right away.

You can remove it from the tank. I have goldfish outside here in zone 6 and
they live right through the winter in water that drops to 39F (sometimes
lower) at the bottom on the ponds and pools.

In the last 2 days, he seems to be spending an awful lot of time
"resting"
in the corner by the heater, but then he periodically swims around and
looks
as healthy and happy as ever. His tail seems to be regenerating (or am
I
imagining that ?) and his eyes seem clearer (or am I imagining that
too?).
I
am inclined to believe if he were going to die, it would have happened
by
now. He seems to be recuperating, so what is going on here?

Again, have you checked the ammonia and nitrite levels in this new
set-up?

We'll do this as soon as we can get whatever we need to do this tomorrow
at
the pet store.

Are you doing weekly partial water changes?

With the old tank, my husband changed the water frequently. We haven't had
this tank very long (only a few weeks or a month), so my husband may not
have.

PARTIAL water changes are needed weekly, or daily if you have ammonia or
nitrites in the water. DO NOT DISTURB the gravel or filter when you do
these PARTIAL changes. The good bacteria are trying to establish themselves
and that would stop them or slow them down. Gravel is cleaned later with a
gravel vac.

Right now, the water is getting really disgusting from the
tetracycline tablets and leaving the filter off part of the time. I would
like to change the water (at least partially), but I'm afraid that the
removing some of the medicine along with the water (which is obviously
unavoidable) will make the situation worse.

I think the meds really screwed up your tank. They killed off the needed
good bacteria before your tank was even cycled. What a mess! :-( You can
start doing partial water changes twice a day to remove this mess.......

Did you quarantine the NEW fish
for at least 14 days before exposing him to your old fish?

No. But I don't know if that would have made any difference in this case.
The new fish is doing fine.

The new fish could be carrying any number of parasites or diseases. I
recently (to protect myself I wont mention the name of the chain store)
bought some fancy goldfish from a reputable place and they had COSTIA! They
sickened and had to be treated. A few didn't survive. The store replaced
them. Had they not been quarantined it could have spread to all my fish. A
real nightmare to contemplate. Just something to keep in mind as your fish
hobby grows.

Is he staying by
the heater for warmth? Is he tired? I thought maybe he was having
trouble
fighting the current being generated by the filter,

How much current is this filter putting out? If it's annoying the fish
you
need to slow it down or get another type or a smaller filter.


Even when we turn off the filter, he hides by the heater.

As I said it doesn't sound good. Between the medication and (I'm sure)
drastic water change he's not in good shape. I would start TONIGHT to do
some partial water changes to remove the meds and I'm sure ammonia and/or
nitrites building up in this tank.

Thank you so much for your advice. I will turn off the heater right away
and
check for ammonia and nitrites first thing tomorrow. Another thing is that
we have several cats, and the aquarium is in the bathroom and one of the
litter boxes is also in the bathroom. Is it possible that some of the
ammonia from the litter box could be getting into the air and diffusing
into
the aquarium water?

No. Don't worry about that happening.

This was never a problem with the old tank, but there
was less surface area. (Both tanks have been covered).
Again, thank you. I hope we can save the fish.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

Let me know what happens after you test the water tomorrow.
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastada...ium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
...

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
...
Hi! I'm relatively new to keeping an aquarium with fish, and here's
my
question:

We have 2 black moor goldfish. One of them we had about a year in a
1-gallon
aquarium, and he did fine. A few weeks ago, we moved him to a
10-gallon
aquarium and added a second black moor. About a week ago, I noticed
that
the
original black moor seemed to be having trouble swimming against the
current
of the filter. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his tail seemed
frayed.

Is there an ammonia problem in this new setup? Have you checked for
ammonia
and nitrites?

After doing some research after I posted, I'm wondering. We'll be
checking
that as soon as we can get to the pet store tomorrow and whatever we
need
to
test the water.

At the least get a combo test usually using strips or individual tests for
ammonia, nitrite, PH and hardness.

My husband is at the pet shop as I type this, buying the test kit.




I phoned the pet shop, and he was diagnosed with fin and tail rot
and I am now on day 3 of 5 of treating the aquarium with tetracycline
tablets.

These will probably kill off your nitrifying bacteria. :-(

Yup. Do you think the tablets were a mistake? We're total novices at
this
(obviously). The one fish was fine in the 1 gallon tank for a year. We
got
a
tank that was presumably bigger, nicer, more sophisticated, and now this
happens... :-(

Don't give up!

I seem to have a big emotional investment in keeping that little fish alive.
We had to euthanize our nearly 15-year-old dog the day before Thanksgiving,
and my mother has developed some serious health problems. I know in the
grand scheme of things, this is "only a goldfish," but if this fish dies in
addition to these other things, I'll be really devastated.

Had you switched from the small tank to the larger one
correctly (but you didn't know) it probably would not have happened. You
can Google more information on how to set up new tanks, the nitrogen cycle
etc. than you can possibly read. :-) The water conditions were
probably
very different in the old tank than in the new one. This is shocking to a
fish's system, then add some ammonia,..... and they become easy prey to
disease such as fin rots and funguses. Also, GF don't need heat. I
can't
say of the tabs were a mistake since the fish is believed to suffer a
bacterial infection.

With the last few hours, the fish has stopped hiding so much and is now
swimming face first downwards. My husband just phoned me on the cell phone.
The lady at the pet shop thinks he now has swim bladder problems. My husband
will be now purchasing the appropriate medication to treat that.

The sick fish seemed to be doing better as soon as I started
treatment but then I noticed he was in the corner by the heater, by
the
surface of the water, not moving. I thought he was dead. But then, he
began
to swim around, frisky as ever.

Why are you heating the water for cold water fish? Goldfish don't need
a
heater.

I asked my husband if the temperature was set for goldfish (as opposed
to
tropical fish). He insisted that it was. But thank you. I will turn off
the
heater right away.

You can remove it from the tank. I have goldfish outside here in zone 6
and
they live right through the winter in water that drops to 39F (sometimes
lower) at the bottom on the ponds and pools.

The heater is now history.



Are you doing weekly partial water changes?

We will start.

With the old tank, my husband changed the water frequently. We haven't
had
this tank very long (only a few weeks or a month), so my husband may not
have.

PARTIAL water changes are needed weekly, or daily if you have ammonia or
nitrites in the water. DO NOT DISTURB the gravel or filter when you do
these PARTIAL changes. The good bacteria are trying to establish
themselves
and that would stop them or slow them down. Gravel is cleaned later with
a
gravel vac.

Thank you.

Right now, the water is getting really disgusting from the
tetracycline tablets and leaving the filter off part of the time. I
would
like to change the water (at least partially), but I'm afraid that the
removing some of the medicine along with the water (which is obviously
unavoidable) will make the situation worse.

I think the meds really screwed up your tank. They killed off the needed
good bacteria before your tank was even cycled. What a mess! :-( You
can
start doing partial water changes twice a day to remove this mess.......

But today was only day 4 of 5 of the medication. Is it safe to stop using
the tetracycline?

Did you quarantine the NEW fish
for at least 14 days before exposing him to your old fish?

No. But I don't know if that would have made any difference in this
case.
The new fish is doing fine.

The new fish could be carrying any number of parasites or diseases. I
recently (to protect myself I wont mention the name of the chain store)
bought some fancy goldfish from a reputable place and they had COSTIA!
They
sickened and had to be treated. A few didn't survive. The store replaced
them. Had they not been quarantined it could have spread to all my fish.
A
real nightmare to contemplate. Just something to keep in mind as your
fish
hobby grows.

I will not make this mistake again.

Is he staying by
the heater for warmth? Is he tired? I thought maybe he was having
trouble
fighting the current being generated by the filter,

How much current is this filter putting out? If it's annoying the fish
you
need to slow it down or get another type or a smaller filter.


Even when we turn off the filter, he hides by the heater.

As I said it doesn't sound good. Between the medication and (I'm sure)
drastic water change he's not in good shape. I would start TONIGHT to do
some partial water changes to remove the meds and I'm sure ammonia and/or
nitrites building up in this tank.

We initiated the water changes this morning.

Let me know what happens after you test the water tomorrow.

Yes, I will, and thank you so much for your support.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

"cindys" wrote in message
...

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
Don't give up!

Brevity snips.......

I seem to have a big emotional investment in keeping that little fish
alive.
We had to euthanize our nearly 15-year-old dog the day before
Thanksgiving,
and my mother has developed some serious health problems. I know in the
grand scheme of things, this is "only a goldfish," but if this fish dies
in
addition to these other things, I'll be really devastated.

I'm so sorry to hear about the death of your dog and your mother's ill
health. But do keep in mind that sometimes fish die no matter what we do.
And they sometimes die for no apparent reason we can see or find. I just
had a real cute orange and white telescope eye goldfish stop eating, isolate
itself, then in less than 48 hours it died. This was in a well established
55g tank. There were no parasites, fin rots or any evidence of injury or
disease.

I
can't
say of the tabs were a mistake since the fish is believed to suffer a
bacterial infection.

With the last few hours, the fish has stopped hiding so much and is now
swimming face first downwards. My husband just phoned me on the cell
phone.
The lady at the pet shop thinks he now has swim bladder problems. My
husband
will be now purchasing the appropriate medication to treat that.

There is no medication to treat that, if it is indeed swim-bladder disease.
It looks like that shop will keep selling you meds and taking your
money.......

The heater is now history.

I going to guess it was the same clueless person who sold you the meds that
also sold you a heater for GF. Please do not ask the people who work in
these stores for information. You will do better asking HERE or searching
the web for information.

I think the meds really screwed up your tank. They killed off the needed
good bacteria before your tank was even cycled. What a mess! :-( You
can
start doing partial water changes twice a day to remove this mess.......

But today was only day 4 of 5 of the medication. Is it safe to stop using
the tetracycline?

Google some of these common antibiotics and you will see that most are now
useless from overmedication for years and years. Unfortunately they can and
sometimes do work all to well to kill what we don't want them to kill. Go
ahead and use it another day, then start your water changes.

Had they not been quarantined it could have spread to all my fish.
A
real nightmare to contemplate. Just something to keep in mind as your
fish
hobby grows.

I will not make this mistake again.

The new fish may be immune to the "problem" your old fish has, after all
your old fish had no exposure to other fish and fish diseases. He was a
prime target with a weak immune system. Always quarantine new fish and as
a precaution treat them all with something like Quick-Cure or Aquara-Sol.
Parasites are very common in the store systems. Not because no one cares
but because the turnover is so great at the shops and wholesalers. New
parasites come in constantly. As far as I'm concerned *all* the fish I buy
have parasites.

Let me know what happens after you test the water tomorrow.

Yes, I will, and thank you so much for your support.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastada...ium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

Actually Black Moors do better WITH a heater - especially
in such a small tank where temperature swings aren't uncommon.

Hi Cindy S -

I'm not a goldfish expert but some of the
same principles apply to all hobby fish.
You mentioned turning the filter off. That's
not a good idea. The only thing you need to
do with a filter when using medications is
remove the carbon cartridge, which usually
isn't needed anyway.

You mentioned the tank being up only a
few weeks or a month. Partial water changes
need to be done weekly, especially with
"dirty" fish like goldfish.

There are a number of small (not expensive)
books on goldfish care, available at pet
stores and bookstores. If you don't already
have one, I'd suggest getting one or two. I'm
a big fan of reference books for hobbies.

I have cats and although litter boxes aren't in
the same room, there are five boxes scattered
about the house. I wouldn't worry if I were
you about the ammonia from litter boxes
ending up in your goldfish tank.

As a wild guess, I would suggest that putting
two goldfish together into water that probably
was not cycled first stressed out your fish. It
happened your original fish was more sensitive
since it had been alone in its own water for so
long (possible old tank syndrome, as others
mentioned), whereas the new fish had come from
a tank with a bunch of other fish.

When you test the water you want nitrAtes but
not nitrItes or ammonia. Nitrates should range
around 20, I think, for goldfish. (I try to keep it
at that level or lower for tropical fish.)

I hope your fish will be ok. Let us know
what happens.

Gail
in Texas